Identity Processes in Adulthood: Diverging Domains

Abstract

Patterns of identity formation were analyzed in a longitudinal framework, from ages 27 to 36 and then to 42 years of age. Information from all 3 ages was available for 197 participants (100 women, 97 men). A variation of Marcia’s (1966) Identity Status Interview included 5 domains: religious beliefs, political identity, occupational career, intimate relationships, and lifestyle. Great variability in identity status assessments was found across the domains at each age level. The domains representing work and family (occupation, relationships, and lifestyle) were more salient for middle- aged adults than were ideological domains (religion and politics). Development along the hypothesized sequence (from diffusion toward achievement) was the most frequent trajectory for all domains, except for political identity, where regression was predominant. Most notably, at age 42, one third of the individuals who were foreclosed or achieved in 3 out of 5 identity domains were diffused in political identity, and one fourth were diffused in religious identity.